In the know

By Times Staff Writer
Published March 13, 2008

PALM HARBOR

Teacher is arrested after fight over ipod

An argument over who owned an iPod ended with a woman being treated for a head injury and a Clearwater High School teacher jailed on a misdemeanor battery charge, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office officials said. Authorities said the altercation began when Sheri Bosson-Sutton, 43, a teacher at Clearwater High School, went to Kara Petelle's Palm Harbor home Tuesday afternoon to retrieve the music player from Petelle's son. Bosson-Sutton said the iPod belonged to an unidentified third person. Petelle refused to turn it over. The ensuing argument turned physical, deputies said, and Bosson-Sutton punched and kicked Petelle, 44, who was taken to Mease Countryside Hospital after falling and hitting her head, deputies said. Bosson-Sutton was charged with misdemeanor battery and was released after posting $250 bail. She has been placed on paid administrative leave pending a review of police reports and other information about this incident, Pinellas school district spokeswoman Andrea Zahn said. Bossom-Sutton, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, has worked with the school system since June 1996 and started as a substitute teacher. In July 2002, she began working at Clearwater High School as an exceptional student education teacher.

CLEARWATER

Screenings for skin cancer scheduled

Free skin cancer screenings will be available from 1:30 to 4 p.m. March 20 and 27 at the Turley Family Health Center, 807 Myrtle Ave. A team of Morton Plant Mease physicians and nurses will give full-body screenings to detect suspicious areas of the skin that may be cancerous and require medical care. Appointments are required and can be made by calling (727) 462-7500. Approximately 60 appointments are available.

Open meeting on BeachWalk status

A BeachWalk "hard hat meeting" where anyone can ask questions and get updates about the status of Clearwater's landscaped $30-million beachfront promenade is scheduled for 9:20 a.m. April 1 at the South Beach Sports Grill, 731 Bayway Blvd. BeachWalk is expected to be mostly complete by June, months ahead of schedule. By then, S Gulfview Boulevard also is expected to be open again. After that, construction crews will return to Coronado Drive to wrap up final streetscaping and lighting, work that should take two or three months. For more information, visit myclearwater.com/beachwalk or call (727) 562-4681.